Travis Ganong leads U.S. in downhill

California skier is 5th; Bode Miller finishes 8th

February 9, 2014

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia - A U.S. skier whose name is not Bode Miller put down the best run of the day for the U.S. in today's men's downhill at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Center in Sochi's Mountain Cluster.

Travis Ganong of Squaw Valley, Calif., finished in 2:06.64, good for fifth place. He was 0.41 off the gold-medal pace of Matthias Mayer of Austria, who finished in 2:06.23. The silver medal went to Italy's Christof Innerhofer in 2:06.29, while Norway's Kjetil Jansrud won the bronze medal in a time of 2:06.33.

"I'm really happy," Ganong said. "The track is a lot smoother than in training. The track mellowed out today with less ice. I had a few little mistakes where I could have got more speed. I am a little bit bummed I'm not still on the podium."

Article Photos

Travis Ganong of the U.S. celebrates after his run in the men's downhill at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Center in Sochi, Russia. (Enterprise photo - Chris Knight)

Miller, who had the fastest time in two of the three downhill training sessions, finished in eighth place with a time of 2:06.75.

"In the training runs it was bluebird, it was perfect visibility and brilliant conditions to see the best skier," Miller said. "Today is different; it's warmer temperatures, the course breaks down, and the snow gets slow."

The New Hampshire skier said he wasn't surprised to see Ganong do so well.

"He has confidence in his ability, and I'm happy for him," Miller said. "It's a shock to some, but I train with him every day, so I know."

Steven Nyman of Sundance, Utah, finished in 27th place with a time of 2:09.15, while Marco Sullivan Truckee, Calif., was 30th with a 2:10.10.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Mededev was among those in the stands to watch the race.